What is love?

I am currently working on speaking to the Glow youth group (Feb 13).  The theme?  Love.  They are having a "glowmance" night. A Sadie-Hawkin's style dessert night...What is Love?

Right now, all I can hear is this, What is Love?

It was a song that was set to a drama that we did for WAY too long.

All I can see is this:

I need some help.  Some serious help.

Grace. Mercy. Love. The ultimate triple threat.

I am a fan of movies.  I love a good movie.  It doesn't have to be warm and romantic, it could be cold and violent, twisty and suspense-filled.  I will take almost any movie.

It has to have movement.

I can get lost a good script, with good actors.

The triple threats are my favourite. Someone who has the ability to actually act (not Tom Cruise) and has more than one ability.

Maybe the act and sing.  Like Anne Hathaway in Les Mis

Maybe they act and dance.  Like Vera Ellen in White Christmas.  She was gifted.

Maybe, just they can do more.  Like my all time favourite, Val Kilmer.  Then, they have me.

I was sitting at my desk today a whirl of office politics dancing in the air, gripes, complaints, sick people, short staffed...and I was thinking about "the Union" and how in the beginning it was a necessity, but now it's bred more than a few "sloths-in-the-system" who know they can't really can't be let go because the Union has their backs.

I was yelled at a couple times today by people.  Nearly mowed over by a smart car.  The day wasn't coming around to being the most stellar...

I was thinking about how great a job I really have.  About how great my co-workers are.

I started thinking about having a dose of Grace in this job.  About having some Mercy for my superiors, who are really trying to do a good job.  Then I landed on love.

And then I thought of the only triple threat to have ever existed   Jesus.  He put me here for a reason, for a higher purpose.  I don't know all the ins and outs of the job, the union or inter-office relationships, but I do know that I am here to show my co-workers and those that call here a small slice of the real triple threat.

Divine Appointments

Yesterday, as with most days that I have worked this 1:00 pm - 9:00 pm shift, I am early.  Really early.  Like an hour.

My co-worker who works the 5 am- 1 pm shift, doesn't. mind. at. all.

So I arrive early yesterday, I went for a walk, got some coffee and a muffin and went to sit and read in the staff room.

When, my co-worker Barb came in to have her lunch.

I was just talking to my friend in Kelowna, Pam about how hard it seems to find friends here.  Everyone is busy, I have been sick/stressed/away and that's not conducive to making or maintaining friends.

We talked through her lunch hour...and into someone else's.  I left that conversation feeling encouraged and my emotional battery re-charged.

Sometimes we look so longingly for something that is right in front of us.  Lord help me to open my eyes!

Little is much

This week has been a tough one.  I am working full time and wondering how on earth I ever did this before.

Things have been falling through the cracks, like making dinner before I leave for the bus at 12, (I need to be at work by 12.45 pm), laundry, housekeeping.

And I have been tired.  Really tired.

It finally hit me yesterday that I have been more than likely fighting some sort of flu this week.  Yesterday as I shivered at my desk, Barb, my co-worker bumped up the heat and yet I still couldn't get warm.

It all started Monday.  I went to the chiropractor and he snapped, popped and man-handled me until I was a little dizzy.  I got re-dressed and put on my necklace with my still somewhat numb fingers.

I went to work with some migraine symptoms, took my meds like a good girl and waited out the feeling of impending doom.

As I was walking to the hospital I looked down to see my beautiful white gold and sapphire necklace was hanging on my scarf....barely.

I said, out loud, "Oh, thank you Jesus."

Then I realized, I was in a little bit of a crowd--and getting some really strange looks.  I explained as I took my necklace off my scarf and not trusting my gimped hands, put it in my wallet for safekeeping.

I immediately thought about this song: by my beloved band Downhere:  Little is much

I love that God cares about the little things in life, I had just said to Kent on a date last Saturday night, how much my sapphire set means to me.  It was a very thoughtful gift and I am thankful it's still intact.

Walking it out.

I have been trying to convince myself that it would be good all around if I took the bus to work.  In fact, I think it would even be better if I walked.

I just can't bring myself to fully committing.

I have bus passes, but I find a way everyday to work until it's too late to take the bus and I've missed it -- or it's too late to walk.

So, today, again, I got Max to drive me to work for 5 pm -- but I convinced myself I could walk home at 1 am.  It could take up to an hour, but I had gloves, toque, walking shoes, I was ready!

Then I got a text from Kent, he is coming to get me.

I was hoping that by the time I got home, I would be good and tired and ready for bed.  I have a hard time "unwinding" from my work day and heading straight to bed.

I work next week Monday to Friday from 1 pm-9 pm.  And I am determined to walk it out.

January 7th--new York to New Jersey

We packed up our stuff and got ready to go.  The girls and I went to Starbucks got some coffee and breaky.  We found that one of the girls had to return to Forever 21--so a little band of us headed off to Times Square to do some last minute stuff.

Seabastian, Isaac, Jill, Kirsten, Baylie, Kim and I headed off and did some shopping, M and Ms store, Hershey's, Forever 21.  We got our picture taken on one of the big screens...it was a fun morning.

We were supposed to meet up with the team at 1.  I started the team back to NYSUM, but they were literally dragging their feet.

We got on the subway at 1.

Our subway train started honking.  Lots.  Then Police showed up.  Then there was an announcement.  Due to a Police investigation, your train will be held up momentarily.  Then, we heard shouting.  A second announcement was made, and Issac, Sebastian and Jill had to put their heads out the car to see what was going on.

A few minutes later, after Kim and I had discussed the possibility of an alternate route, we headed out to Queens.

We arrived at 1.30 pm, the vans loaded and we headed out on the scariest missions trip ride I have ever had.

And I have done 80 km/h standing in the back of a truck in Guatemala.

We were in 4 near misses.  The last one being rear-ended by a semi.  I just looked back to see the grille of the semi in our back window.

We got to Newark, New Jersey, car sick and scared to death.

We checked in and had an uneventful flight home.  We landed in Seattle and drove to Port Angeles, arriving at 5.00 am EST.  Exhausted.

I slept fitfully and had the best sleep just prior to the alarm going off.

We boarded the ferry at 8.30, arriving home in Victoria at 10.00--we jumped on Max's bed as soon as we got home.

Home is good.  I can't wait for another trip away, but in other ways, I can't see going back.  It will have to be as God directs.

I am now back at work, I have taken a line that will keep me busy until the middle of February.  I am contented to be here, plugging away--until God tells me otherwise.

January 6--Bethel Gospel Tabernacle

On Sunday morning we got up went to Bethel Gospel Tabernacle.  We came up out of the subway we were the only white people for as far as the eye could see.

We passed a man and we heard him say, "Looks like we have ourselves a field trip."

Yes, we are a field trip.  However, trying to take pictures on this field trip WILL get you into trouble.  An usher caught me...he was all neck.  I was scared enough to put it away.

The service was amazing.

The tourists all left when the pastor started  preaching.  I guess it got a little too intense for them.

We then went to Union Square to have lunch at Whole Foods and look at the debt clock:



It has grown 20,519,049,809,490 since March 2012.  I can't even fathom.  It makes me really thankful that we have spent some serious time getting our finances in order...

We then took off to the Staten Island Ferry Terminal.  We took the ferry over to see the Statue of Liberty.  The sun was setting...



We then went to Chinatown to wrap up any shopping that the team wanted to do.  This was the first time Kent got to see gang members hanging out on the corner.  I don't point the gangs out, I generally wait for the team to see them, I don't really think they are an attraction....I'd rather point out the Statue of Liberty or Brooklyn Bridge.  They are less likely to freak the team out....

I had my meltdown with Kirsten and Kelly in a little shop in Chinatown.  I told them about how much I missed them--how hard leaving them behind was..

Then Jamie had an amazing idea.  Let's just get the shopping done, take the team to Forever 21 and let the girls get their stuff done.  It was a brilliant move!

I don't like shopping and I wasn't feeling good.  I was nauseated and headache-y.  I went down 2 floors and found a bench to sit on...the floor was shaking so hard I got a little freaked and went back to McDonald's for the free wifi and to wait out the shopping--I met up with the girls at  9.30 just like we had planned and they were already getting through the line up to pay.

We went home and packed up for our departure in the morning.

January 5--Staten Island

We were told we would be back in Breezy Point today, I have to say I was disappointed to go back to Staten Island, but I have done these trips enough to know that there is always a reason.

And, there was.

We were in the warehouse putting clothing on racks, arranging for a clothing drive.  So, we had to arrange in colour and size--nothing thrills me more than organization.  Between the spraying the organizing--I was feeling like what I was doing on this trip mattered.

While we were having lunch someone asked me to do my (now) world famous Long Island accent.  So, I did...and offended Pastor Steve....

After lunch we headed back into the warehouse to get the last of the clothing organized.

Kent found me and said we needed to pray for the team -- most of the volunteers we met were burning out. Before we prayed for Pastor Steve's team he told us that the warehouse they were using was actually at the end of the day, not theirs to use.

He was stressed.

I don't know all the outcome, but we prayed.  Afterwards, Gina came and hugged me--and I apologized for my Long Island accent, he laughed and said it was fine.  I know--it really is fine, but I didn't mean to offend.  I think Kent and I made friends with them, they are in my prayers everyday and in my thoughts often.

We left Staten Island, I was driving again, this time, I didn't need any instruction to find my way home.  That, I was pretty pleased about.  (patting myself on the back....)

January 4--Staten Island

If ever I was feeling like I didn't belong--it would be now.  I felt like I couldn't keep up physically, I wasn't sleeping really well and I was getting more and more drained as the time wore on.

Then, we went to Staten Island.  We arrived to the location of Mary's house.  She had let the command centre set up on her grass.  A huge tent was put up on her rental property and the volunteers and emergency workers were coordinated there.

When we arrived her landlord was upset that his property looked like a garbage dump.  He demanded that it be cleaned up.

When we arrived she had done most of the work.  Kent reached out and held her while she cried and told her that we would see to the rest of the clean up, the teens and Ben set to cleaning.

Meanwhile....feeling like I couldn't physically keep up, the NYSUM leader we had with us wanted to talk.  We held hands and I encouraged her.  She had had a really rough year, something I could really relate with.  We talked, cried and she left encouraged.  And I knew why I was there.  Not to dig piles of sand, or build a set of stairs, or drywall a house.  What I can do is hold people while they cry, high five them when they are needing encouragement, make them laugh.  That's what I do.

When we were divided up -- my team was dropped off by Mike and we sprayed a lady's house for mold.  It was January 4th and she still didn't have power.  We talked with her for a moment, but told her we had it under control--she left to do some errands.

We sprayed and did a great job, afterwards, Baylie, Kirsten and I went to find a bathroom, dressed as oompa-loompas in our Tyvex suits, we found an outhouse.

When we were returning--I noticed the neighbour across the street was in her doorway watching us.  We helped ourselves into the house, I texted for a ride and got the house back in order, leaving the spraying apparatus for the team that would be in tomorrow.

The neighbour was still watching us.

We waited.  No ride, no response to the text.  We were freezing in the house, so I suggested that we find a ride ourselves.  There are patrols constantly coming and going...

So we started walking and I immediately found a fire truck.  They had equipment in the back so they couldn't take us.  We continued walking towards the main road and found a police car.  The NYPD officer politely gave me instructions and I asked for a ride.  I was told I would have to be arrested to be in the back....I told him he could.

He didn't.

We went onto warm ourselves in Dunkin Doughnuts.  We went onto the command centre--where I asked to drive home.  Kent and Ben had been doing all the driving...and I thought...I can do this!


We left early enough to avoid major traffic delays (if there is such a thing in NYC) and we got the team cleaned up and headed to Times Square Church for their youth service.

We found this guy outside of Starbucks that had a 5' long-longboard.  He had a heart for the homeless and was actively getting people off the street and into their own apartments.  The way he talked he seemed independently wealthy and had the numbers down pat.  How much a homeless shelter could charge per month per person using the facility.  He was incredibly interesting to listen too.

We went home, tired but filled up.
 

Janaury 3-Breezy Point, New York

We headed out very early on the 3rd back to Breezy Point.

MaryLou showed up to visit.  I am convinced she is lonely.  She was looking for a shovel we hadn't used the day before.  I told her where the one was that we did use.  Later she came back and told us it wasn't the one she was looking for.  Again, I think she was looking for a visit.

We split our teams.  I took a team to work at Carol and Kate's house.  Carol was an Olympic swimmer, and she was ready for the NYC Marathon that was cancelled due to Hurricane Sandy.

Trudy our NYSUM liason spent the day inside helping clean and organize the inside of the house.  Kate told me that her brother had decided to get going and do the interior of the house.  The interior was amazingly put together.

We spent the day digging through the sand at their house to get the garbage out.



This is the K triple threat of Kim, Kirsten and Kelly.  Kelly is digging out aluminum siding that was brown, the house we were working on was blue.

Isaac digging through sand for debris.



This is my very hard working crew, including Trudy (NYSUM Leader), Carol and Kate (holding the ball)

The one thing that impacted me working here was how positive they were, how totally focused on "getting back to normal"

Kate and I had a conversation while the teens were working.  During the storm, which hit their house about 10 pm--they "floated" over to the neighbours roof--Kate was struck by a floating car and broke her collar bone.  The stress of the storm had caused her to have a seizure--the seizure caused her retina to detach from her eye.  She has been refused treatment, her insurance company won't cover her.

I asked about Obama Care.  She said it won't cover her...she is considered "too rich".

She is 23, has been homeless since the storm, (they have no power, no heat), her collar bone is fusing to her shoulder and she is now blind in one eye.

I thought my year was tough.

Look at the smile on her face, she didn't stop smiling from the time we got there to the time we left.  Even while arguing with the insurance company.

Before we left, she had an appointment booked with the best eye guy in New York.

We left and decided to go find an Outback Steakhouse.  We were all hungry and meat sounded really, really good.

We didn't find it.  Trudy's GPS lied to us, we ended up stopping at the Blue Bay Diner in Queens: not great food, but the company was amazing.

Janaury 2--Breezy Point, Brooklyn, New York

We boarded the vans and headed to Breezy Point.  We drove through Queens to Brooklyn, to a little finger of land that juts out into the ocean:

Breezy Point Map

Today, my little group worked with a very interesting lady named MaryLou, I don't think there is a way I will ever forget her.

Her home was 80+ years old, built by her Grandfather right on Rockaway point Blvd.  It wasn't a majestic home, but rather looked like a cottage you might see at Nanoose Bay or a vacation spot by a lake.  It had a small living, dining and kitchen area.  A small bathroom with 1 small bedroom.  It was on stilts, the high water line in her bathroom was about 10' high.

Our job was to empty her home of contents that couldn't be salvaged and then move all her furniture to the front porch that could be saved.

MaryLou and I had something in common.  We both love antiques.  As we were going through her home she was ditching a silver tea service, an ancient Singer sewing machine and a silver alcohol decanter that would fetch a very high price.  It looked like a castle with doors that dropped and had a cigar humidor on top.

I agonized over this for her, but there was either cloth or wood that had been water damaged and it all had to go.  I asked her if we could save it -- then she told me.  Everything had been hit with sewer, there were no septic tanks, no sewer lines, they had cesspools, so due to the high water line, everything below that line had to be trashed.

She was pretty brave during the beginning of the day, but as the day wore on, you could see how the emptying of her home was causing her some distress.

At one point she asked the girls to shovel off her front walk, about 18" of sand, then looked at the boys and asked them to pack up her room.  A little backwards.

I packed up her bathroom, which was the worst smell ever, the girls were packing up records that had a 1/2" of mold on them, some were cracked and broken, but she was sure she could salvage them, I think the stress made her think not so clearly.

She was thrilled with the job we accomplished, her back yard full of garbage bags to be taken by the garbage men in the morning, her house completely empty and swept, ready for an interior inspection--(I didn't think she would pass...she had passed the exterior inspection)

She asked the kids to take something to remember her by--she held a little raffle on her front walk.  She gave away a depression era glass cup, a coin collection, when it came to me I said all I wanted was a hug and a photo to remember her by.

She then hugged me and handed me a ratty old American flag--still on it's pole.  She said it had survived the hurricane, so I took it with pride.

We finished work at her home about 2.30 and headed back to help the other group get rid of a pile about 4' high of stuff from behind a house it took a pile of us, but we did it.  I looked in the basement and there had to be about 3-4" of ice.

We ended the day, frozen to the core, satisfied with a job well done.  The teens, didn't complain even a little bit.

Seattle to New York December 31, 2012/January 1, 2013

We left the hotel promptly at 4 am, about the time we were supposed to be meeting the team.  We arrived at the airport, just ahead of the team, ready for the adventure ahead of us.

The team consisted of some newbies to New York, Baylie, Isaac, Kelly, and Maureen--who had been in New York before but not to NYSUM.  The vetrans were Kent, Ben, Kimberly, Jill, Sebastian, Kirsten, Jamie and myself.

We arrived to a beautiful, sunny, cold day--still trying to figure out, do we go to Times Square or not.  The media was saying there would be a million people there.

We unloaded our stuff into NYSUM at about 5 pm and headed to one of our favourite spots, Piazza Pizza, still owned and operated by the same people as the first time we went to NYSUM in 2002.

We filled up and then headed to Times Square, we knew we wouldn't get anywhere near the "action" but it was good to get the "big lights, big city" out of the newbies and to have a little fun.

We wandered around 5th Avenue, found our way to Rockefeller Plaza, looked at the huge Christmas Tree and skating rink.  We tried to get into St. Pat's Cathedral, but it was closed.  We walked up to 59th/5th, FAO Schwartz was closed, but the kids got to see the Apple Store, get on some wifi, which birthed the first of many quotes from the trip.

"Maybe there's wifi here?"

We got home and into bed at a decent time.

January 1st we got up and had breakfast and headed out to the 9/11 memorial.  Some had seen it before, like Kim Tingstad, who saw it in 2002 and 2003, when ground zero was nearly at it's worst.  Kent who saw it in 2008 when it was just a flat piece of land with a newly dedicated subway station (Cortlandt Street Station) and the team from 2012 who experienced the memorial completed (without the museum).

In March a teen said to me that she couldn't really grasp the concept of the 9/11 memorial.  Being that she was about 4-5 years old when it happened, I thought of a way of capturing the significance for her.  So, I asked the teens to go find his/her name in the computer and take a picture of the name.  In that, they would think about the fact that it was a real person who is now gone.

This trip, Kent did the exercise, he found his name and took a picture:



I loved how the only place in New York without garbage is this memorial.  I wondered as I walked if it would stay that way.

From there we went to Chinatown and Times Square.  The next day would be our first official work day.

New York City December 2012-January 2013

I'd have to write a book to explain this last trip to New York, so I thought I would divide it into smaller posts, you can by pass them if you like, I will make sure that you will know it's a New York post by the heading.

Kent, Jamie and I took the 5 pm ferry on December 30th headed to Seattle for the night. When we crossed the border I was driving and I said that we were going to work with NYSUM to help with Hurricane Sandy Disaster Relief.

I said the word work.

We were pulled aside to be further questioned about the fact that we would potentially be taking jobs from the Americans.  If the American's were wanting to help, they'd be there already.  We had to convince them that we paid for our trip, weren't getting any form of compensation.

So, just to clarify, we pay for our flights, our room and board, our incidentals.  NYSUM doesn't give us ANYTHING for coming to work with them, except--warm fuzzy feelings of a job well done--and a week full of life shattering and impacting moments.

All worth the effort.

This trip was completely paid for by 2 families in BC, I am not sure that they want to be named for their kindnesses, so I will just say that the fee at the time to go was $950, which was covered by a family and then another came in with $150. which enabled me to get to Seattle.  It was a huge blessing as I was looking at pulling out of the trip all together.  And I could have, there were 6 adults on this trip, to 6 youth.

But, I make a darn good tour guide.  I could get the team from point-to-point with little trouble.

So we got to our hotel, slept fitfully for about 5 hours.  Left our car there for the week and headed out the morning of December 31st for New York.

The biggest question on our minds...Do we or do we not go to Times Square for New Years Eve....we didn't see this, although we heard Psy doing Gangnam Style

Taylor Swift in Times Square

Psy New Years Eve